Rape Victim Passed Exam With Flying Colors

A woman pays tribute to the 23-year-old gang victim at a ceremony in Guwahati, Assam, Jan. 10.

If she had lived, the young woman whose brutal rape and beating last month led to a nationwide debate on India’s treatment of women, would be celebrating today.

She and her parents would likely have bought boxes of sweets to share with friends and neighbors, a common way to celebrate passing an exam or getting a new job in India.

That wasn’t to be.

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By the time the young woman’s name appeared on Wednesday on a list of students who scored the highest marks in an exam required to qualify for a physiotherapy degree, it had been 10 days since her family completed her last rites. She died on Dec. 29 of the injuries sustained in the December attack.

Her brother told The Wall Street Journal that they had heard about the results from news reports.

“She used to work through the night and yet she fared well in her exams,” he said. “We are very happy…wish she was around.”

The 23-year-old student secured 73% in her final exam in September, said Harish Arora, chairman of the Sai Institute of Paramedical and Allied Sciences, in the northern hill town ofDehra Dun, where she studied. She scored 800 out of a possible total of 1,100 points, Mr. Arora said in telephone interview Thursday, making her the second-highest scoring student in the class.

“She has done very well. It is not easy to get such good marks,” Mr. Arora said.

The young woman enrolled in the college in 2008. While there, she transformed from a shy teenager to an active participant in college activities, helping to organize dance recitals and other events. At the same time, she worked a night shift in a call center to pay for her college fees, friends and staff said.

Bhawna Ghai, a professor and head of the physiotherapy department said she was “very proud” at her “excellent” performance. “She had a desire to do well in her career.”

“I’m feeling sad she is not here to receive our praise,” said Ms. Ghai. “I would have hugged her at her wonderful performance.”

The young woman stood second in a class of 29 students who scored between 50% to 65% of total possible points, on average, the professor added.

The college has offered free education to her younger brothers and plans to refund the $3,300 in fees that the woman paid for her physiotherapy course.

The chairman, Mr. Arora, has also said the college was planning to start a scholarship program in tribute to the young woman.

Sai Institute of Paramedical and Allied Sciences, Dehra Dun

The marksheet of the 23-year-old victim who studied at the Dehra Dun colllege.

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